Sir Roger Moore, known for his acting in the iconic role of James Bond, has died aged 89. Sir Roger had been battling cancer, and overnight his family announced that he had passed. “The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone,” wrote Moore’s children, Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian.
With the heaviest of hearts, we must share the awful news that our father, Sir Roger Moore, passed away today. We are all devastated. pic.twitter.com/6dhiA6dnVg
— Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) May 23, 2017
Moore played the famous 007 spy seven times, in films such as Live and Let Die, and A View to Kill. He was credited with taking the iconic character into a new and more humorous direction than his predecessor, Sean Connery. Moore reportedly commented on the sometimes incredulous nature of Bond storylines, “To me, the Bond situations are so ridiculous, so outrageous,” he once said. “I mean, this man is supposed to be a spy and yet, everybody knows he’s a spy.”
Outside of the Bond films, Moore is known for his role in the popular 1950-60s TV series Maverick, as Beauregarde Maverick, as well as playing Simon Templar in the UK TV hit The Saint.
Moore would stay in the Bond role until the age of 57, where he went into semi-retirement. In 1991 he became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, after having been introduced by the late actor (and Moore’s neighbour) Audrey Hepburn. He worked tirelessly for the cause over the next two decades, drawing particular attention to iodine deficiency in children. In 2003 he was knighted for his humanitarian work, and in 2012 he was awarded the UNICEF UK Lifetime Achievement Award.
In their statement, Moore’s children said that they were lending their support to Moore’s widow, Kristina Tholstrup and thanked everyone for their support. “Thank you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people.”